Show keynote c speech a at ant democrate Demo crati convention cummings recites achievements of democratic party asid and KENA bitterly t t e r I 1 y attacks republicans after having been elected temporary chairman of the democratic na dional convention at san francisco homer S cummings chairman ot of the democratic national committee delivered the keynote breech saying in part we who assemble in ili this great convention counsel together merely as members ot a party bu but t is as child children reft of the e republic bublic love of country and devotion to human service should purge our hearts of all unworthy or misleading motives let us fervently pray for a divine blessing upon apon all that we do or undertake let of opportunity the unity ot our coun Us pledge ourselves anew to equality equall tY tty ry above tile the interests of groups or classes and the maintenance of the high honor of americ in ili her dealings uh ith other nations the people will shortly determine which political instrumentality is best suited to their purposes most responsive to their needs the republican party was nas unsuccessful ess ful in tile the elections of 0 1912 1012 because it had persistently served special interests and had lost touch with the spirit of the time the republican platform reactionary and provincial is the very apotheosis of political expediency filled with premeditated slanders and vague promises it will be searched in vain for one constructive suggestion tor for the reformation of thu the conditions which it criticizes and deplores the oppressed peoples of the earth will look to it in vain it contains no message of hope for ireland no word of 0 mercy for armenia and it conceals a sword for mexico it is tile the work of men concerned more with material things than with human rights the democratic party is an party a tree free party owing no allegiance to any class or group or special interest we were able to take up and carry through to success the great progressive program outlined in our platform of 1912 the income tax was made a permanent party part y of the revenue agencies 0 of f the country relieving our law of the reproach re of being unjustly burdensome to the poor the extravagances and inequities of the tariff system were rem removed ovea and a nonpartisan tariff commission was established so that future revisions might be made in the light of accurate information scientifically and impartially obtained pan american encouraged and the breas ism ibm was thus cast upon the international waters came back to us many fold the gre great it riches of alaska were r opened up to commerce and develop development in ent dollar diplomacy was destro destroyed destroyer yei 1 A corrupt lobby was driven irom tile tha national capitol an effective seamans the federal act was adopted trade com commission mission was created child labor legislation was enacted the parcel post and the rural free delivery were developed A good roads credits let act were rural bill and a passed parsed A secretary tary of labor was given a seat in the cabinet of the eight hour laws NN were ere president pies ples ident adopted the clayton amendment to antitrust v let act w was ta passed the sheriban She freeing american labor and t taking alting it from the category of commodities the smith lever bill for the improvement conditions was of agricultural enacted A corrupt practice act was adopted A well considered warehouse federal employment let act NN was is ploy nien t bureaus buie bule aus alls wore were created farm loan banks postal savings banks arid and the fedrial reserve system weve established inadequate r recital ecat 11 of tile the I 1 par arthis is our answer t to 0 the tys tvs performance antiquated ed slander the democratic party is unab unable le to understand affairs of tile the country tile the great if tile Demo democratic democrate crati c party had accomplished complis hed lied nothing more than federal reserve act passage of the would be entitled to the gratitude ot of the nation this H R S CUMMINGS T V IX k x 4 x passed over the opposition of the leaders of the republican party parly enabled america to withstand the strain of war without shock or panic and ultimately made our country the greatest creditor nation of the world at some length the speaker gave a summary of the achievements during the war and said it is this shining record of tremendous achievement that republican managers and the chicago platform seek to shame and besmirch various congressional committees which tor for want of a more appropriate term are called smelling committees were appointed for the purpose of ascertaining certa ining whether or not there was any graft in the conduct of the great war oner eighty investigations have been made over two million dollars have been wasted and the one result has been to prove that it was the cleanest war ever fought in the history of civilization there are men so small in spirit so pitifully piti cramped in soul that they suggest bugg est that the war cost too much when criticism is made let us not forget that we bought with it the freedom and the safety of the civilization z of the world the republicans have now been in control of the senate and the house for more than a year they won the election electia 11 of 1918 upon the faith of alluring promises what have they accod accomplished since rep republican publican leaders have been moved by a strange and inexplicable jealousy of the president their feverish animosity expressed in gross abuse and through secret intrigue has been productive of one of the most unhappy chapters in american history recalling the similar expert experiences of lincoln and W washington ashington political malice followed tho the president to tile the peace pe a cc table A senatorial round robin was widely circulated every device which partisanship could develop was employed for the purpose of weakening the int influence luence of our commission at paris and making the task there still more difficult at a time lime when every instinct of fairness pleaded for a wholehearted whole hearted support of the preg president ident political antagonism and personal envy controlled tho the anti forces there are men who seem to be all annoyed when we suggest that american honor is bound up in ili this contest and that good faith requires that we should enter the league of nations tho the whole republican case Is based upon the theory that we may with honor do as wo we please about this matter and that we baye baro ba ro made no promises which it is our duty to redeem after explaining in ili what way the promises which it is our duty to redcap after explaining in ili wa what at way the promises were riven given the speaker wound up in ili saying practically all of the civilized nations of the earth have now united in a covenant which constitutes the redemption of that pledge we alone have thus tar far failed to keep our word others may break faith the senate of the united states may break faith the republican party may break bre ak faith but neither president wilton wilbon nor the democratic party will break faith the republican platform contains LI a vague bromne to establish another or a different form of association amongst nations of a tenuous and shadowy character our proposed co partners in ili such a project are unnamed and uri unnamable namable it is not stated whether it is proposed to invite the nations that have established the present league to dissolve it and to eagin anew or whether the purpose is to establish a new association of a competitive charac character tei composed of the nations that repudiated the existing league the vitalizing devitalizing de character of such an expedient requires no comment why close our eyes to actual world conditions A league 0 of nations already ready rl exists it is not a project it is a fact we must either enter it or remain out of it what nations have actually signed and ratified the treaty brazil bolivia great britain canada australia south africa new zealand india czechoslovakia czecho slovakia guatemala liberia panama peru uruguay slam siam greece poland japan italy france and belgium what neutral states invited to join the league have actually done so norway venezuela the netherlands denmark colombia chile argentina gen Lina paraguay persia salvador sp spain ain sweden and switzerland even china will become a member when she ratifies the austrian treaty germany has signed and is preparing to take the place which awaits her in the league of nations what nations stand outside revo lutio nary mexico exico Ar bolshevist russia unspeakable turkey and the united states of america the trouble with the treaty of pe peace ace is that it was negotiated by a democratic president it is not difficult to assess the responsibility tor for its defeat the responsibility rests rest enot upon its friends but upon its enemies the relations committee immediately following the last election was nas reorganized with a personnel consisting of the open toes foes of 0 the treaty the members of 0 this committee adopted every subterfuge to mic ro the document which they were supposed to be considering as statesmen deputations of foreign born citizens were brought to washington in an all effort to color and exaggerate the impression of popular opposition and then it took the senate nearly three times as long to kill the treaty by protracted debate and by confusing con and nullifying amendments and reservations as it took tile the representatives of the allied governments to draft it senator lodge at no th time ne has hab offered constructive amendments at no time has ho be failed to otter offer destructive criticism so intolerant was his attitude that lie he would not even consider a compromise proposed by fornier former president taft of his own party nid which was assured of the support of foi ty democratic sona senators tors senator lodge knew that lie he controlled the senate and that in ili liis his own time and way he could d btroy the treaty this is the sordid stox story Y of its ita defeat no blacker blacher crime against civilization CINI lias has ever soiled tile the pages of our history hist cry the last chapter was written at chicago ale republican platform nol only repudiates the league of nations but it praises without discrimination all of the republican senators who participated in ili its defeat 1 feat it is a fac fact that chat the open foes of the treaty the secret foes of the treaty and tho the apparent friends of the treaty who conspired with its enemies are equally cr er for the d destruction st ruction of the instrument itself it would be idle to inquire by what political legerdemain this n can ingless and yet ominous declaration was prepared it is enough to know that the old guard sold the honor of america for the privilege of a reactionary I 1 tor for president let the true purpose of our party be clearly understood we stand squarely for the same ideals of peace as those for which the war was fought we support without flinching the only feasible plan for peace and justice we will not submit to the repudiation of the peace treaty or 0 to any process by which it is whittled down donn to the vanishing point we decline 0 to compion iise our principles or pawn our immortal souls for selfish purposes we do not turn our backs upon tile the history of 0 the retreat we insist that forward the course is the only righteous couse we seek to establish reestablish re the fruits victory to reinstate the good baith of our country and to restore it to its rightful place among the nations of the earth our cause constitutes a summons to duty the heart of america stirs again thet ancient faith revives the immortal part of man speaks for us the services of the past the sacrifices of the war the hopes of the future constitute a spiritual force gathering about our banners we shall release again the checked forces of civilization and america shall take up once more the leadership of the world |